What You Must Know About Public Interest Litigation

Public interest litigation refers to the enforcement of laws associated with the protection of public interest. Public interest litigation is introduced in the court of law, not by a complaining party, however, but through the court itself. This specific field of law is not always carried out by a victim of a crime or violation, but instead, by the public court system to uphold a positive treatment of the general society. Public interest litigation awards the public courts power through judicial activism.

Public interest litigation is a relatively new field of law. As oppose to upholding the laws associated with business policy or private well being, public interest litigation views society as a functioning unit. If there is an action taken by an individual or entity that harms the well-being the unit or disrupts society form working in harmony, public interest litigation will enforce various laws to punish the entity.

The environment is a dominating issue within the broad scope of public interest litigation. The environment is obviously a shared space, it is the community in which we are all apart of. If a corporation, entity, or individual deliberately damages the environment in way that disrupts the well-being of the greater population public interest litigation will be utilized to find a legal resolution to the matter. As stated before, to spark a public interest litigation case the need for a damaged party is not necessary; the public court itself initiates the trial to enforce the laws on the party accused of disrupting society's function or well-being.